How many milligrams of potassium iodide would a child need to take during a nuclear terrorist attack?

Question

30 lb child

Answer 1

If you really want that sort of info:

Radiation protection

Potassium iodide was also FDA approved in 1982 to protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine. In the event of an accident or attack at a nuclear power plant, or fallout from a nuclear bomb, several volatile fission product radionuclides may be released. 131I is a common fission by-product and is particularly dangerous as the body concentrates it only in the thyroid gland which may lead to thyroid cancer. By saturating the body with a source of stable iodine prior to exposure, any radioactive 131I inhaled or ingested becomes the excess in the blood system and is excreted through the kidneys. Potassium iodide cannot protect against any other causes of radiation poisoning, however, nor can it provide any degree of protection against a dirty bomb unless the bomb happens to contain a significant amount of radioactive iodine. In case of a nuclear emergency, iodine used for the cleaning of wounds should not be ingested, as it is poisonous. Only 3 brands of potassium iodide have been tested and approved for use by the FDA as a thyroid blocking agent during exposure to radioactive iodine (Iosat, ThyroShield and Thyro-safe) and hence potassium iodate is not approved in the U.S. for this purpose.

Recommended Dosage for Radiological Emergencies involving radioactive iodine[7] Age KI in mg

Over 12 years old 130

3 - 12 years old 65

1 - 36 months old 32

< 1 month old 16

What dosages of potassium iodide (KI) should be taken for specific exposure levels?

Exposures greater than 5 cGy:  

    Birth through 1 mo.  - 16 mg.

    1 mo. through 3 yrs.  - 32 mg.

    3 yrs through 18 yrs.  - 65 mg. (Adolescents>150 pounds should take adult dose.)

Exposures greater than 10 cGy:

    18 yrs through 40 yrs. - 130 mg

Exposures greater than 500 cGy:

    Adults over 40 yrs - 130 mg.

These cut and paste factoids are from Wikipedia and the FDA

Answer 2

More info about nuclear threats:

http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/...

Dosages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_i...

Answer 3

Here's the source to trust:

http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/5386fnl...